CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – After a choppy start to the contests, Illinois State scored on a field goal by Ian Wagner late in the first quarter and never looked back against Northern Iowa, as the Redbirds (7-3, 4-2 MVFC) held the Panthers (2-8, 0-6 MVFC) to just three field goals on the day in a dominant 31-9 win Saturday afternoon at the UNI-Dome.
How It Happened:
• The Redbirds took the lead on a 21-yard field goal by Ian Wagner late in the first quarter with 3:27 left in the opening stanza.
• ISU extended its lead to 10-0 with 10:50 left before halftime, as Tommy Rittenhouse called his own number and ran it in for a score to cap off a 16-play, 78-yard scoring drive for the Redbirds.
• UNI cut into the ISU lead at 10-3 on a 32-yard field goal by Caden Palmer with 7:05 remaining in the second quarter.
• The Redbirds took a two-touchdown lead, when Wenkers Wright bowled his way into the endzone on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line to cap off a stellar 21-play, 86-yard scoring drive that took 8:19 off the clock to start the third quarter.
• UNI used a big run by Tye Edwards to get into Redbird territory, but the ISU defense held the Panthers to a 25-yard field goal by Palmer to make the score 17-6 with 2:33 left in the third.
• On the first play of the fourth quarter, freshman Matt Lawson found the endzone from four yards out to extend the Redbird lead to 24-6.
• Palmer then connected on his third field goal of the day, this one from 42 yards out, to trim the UNI deficit to 24-9 with 11:44 left in the game.
• Thanks to a couple of big connections from Rittenhouse to Daniel Sobkowicz, the Redbirds pushed the lead to 31-9 with 8:01 left on the clock when Wright scored from 14 yards out for his second score of the day.
Game Notes:
• Rittenhouse's rushing touchdown early in the second quarter was his team-leading eighth of the season.
• With his two touchdowns on the day, Wright moved his rushing touchdowns total to seven as he and Rittenhouse continue to battle for the team lead in that category.
• Wright finished the day with 109 yards on 21 attempts, his second straight 100-plus yard effort and fifth of the season overall.
• Lawson had his best game as a Redbird, rushing for 84 yards and a score while averaging 5.2 yards per carry on the day.
• Sobkowicz recorded his first 100-plus yard receiving performance of the season, with seven grabs for 136 yards with a long reception of 68-yards.
• Tight end Scotty Presson came up big all day, with several catches that moved the chains and recorded a career-high three grabs for 58 yards with a long of 41 on the attempted Hail Mary throw at the end of the first half from Jake Rubley.
• The ISU defense was led by senior safety Keondre Jackson, who tallied nine tackles with a half TFL and two pass breakups.
• Lavoise-Deontae McCoy was right behind with seven tackles and a sack, Steven Curtis, Jalan Gaines and Amir Abdullah each chipped in with a sack apiece.
Next Up:
Illinois State continues its road swing next Saturday, when the Redbirds travel to Terre Haute, Indiana, for a noon CT kickoff against Indiana State (4-6, 3-3 MVFC) at Memorial Stadium.
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